About this book

Introduction

This
book provides a fresh look at measuring negative externalities in the
urbanization process. Meeting the challenges that come hand-in-hand with the
contemporary age of rapid urbanization demands more extensive empirical
knowledge. While most urbanization research focuses on positive externalities,
this book is designed to offer insights into possible sources of negative
externalities and the measurement thereof. In economics, the measurement of
externalities is a challenging task that demands innovative research designs;
however, previous research has failed to capture all of these externalities.
The technique described in this book is carefully designed to measure negative
externalities, particularly those related to squatter settlements that have
been hitherto largely ignored by urbanization literature. The existence of
negative externalities and the unintended consequences of rapid urbanization,
particularly those related to squatter settlements, can be found in Latin
America and Asia. This book provides comparative insights based on extensive
primary surveys of households in squatter and non-squatter settlements of
Kathmandu, Nepal and Quito, Ecuador. It is considered a case study that will
improve the understanding of urbanization issues between Latin America and
Asia. Societal benefits can be improved through the reduction of negative
externalities. This book helps policy makers in Kathmandu and Quito fine-tune
their policies to address the source of urban externality, as well as provide
new insights into the nexus between urbanization and development. An investment
in the reduction of negative externalities is profitable, thus presenting the
government and international partners with a great opportunity. This book
contributes to existing literature and will be useful for researchers and
students.